From the Neck Up
by Kaccee
Summary: Harry and Hermione are left by themselves and without dates in sight. What better time to go on vacation?
1. Plutonic Love is from the Neck Up

Platonic Love is From the Neck Up

Hermione sat in her chair holding an almost empty glass of champagne. The night had gotten cooler, but the pixies still sparkled in the trees. A gentle breeze blew through her wavy hair and made her silk dress flutter against her calves. She let out a sigh and took in the damage.

The lanterns still hung from the tent, most still alight. The plates were stacked on a table in the corner. The food had all been cleared off and shipped out with the barrage of relatives. The September night could not have been more perfect.

Downing the last of her champagne she smiled to herself. The Weaseleys always did throw one hell of a party; and the wedding had been no exception. She heard footsteps on the grass behind her and knew instantly who it was. She could always tell the difference between their footsteps. He sat down beside her, his tie undone and his jacket in his arms. He ruffled his hand through his jet black hair and sighed.

"Have fun?" She asked, keeping her gaze in front of her. He glanced at her cheek and raised his eyebrow.

"Of course, I love weddings." She snorted and caught his gaze.

"Since when?"

"Since always! I'm not pessimistic about love like you."

"When you've seen as many bad relationships as I have, first hand for many, you don't have as much faith in the sanctity."

"You're just bitter because you're always the bridesmaid and never the bride." She shook her head with exasperation.

"Whatever you say Mister Potter." She said rolling her eyes and looking back up at the pixies.

"I mean honestly Hermione, we're all a little weird and life's a little weird, but if we can find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." She looked back at him with a small smile on her face.

"I never really knew you to be so…oddly sweet." He smiled back. "So where'd you steal the line from?" He opened his mouth in feigned shock.

"I am really hurt that you would think that Hermione. Why on earth would I steal a line like that? It came from the very deepest and darkest places of my soul. A place that you can only dream…I found it in a book when I was writing my best man speech." She laughed, which made him smile more.

"But with all candour Harry…I'm glad their weirdness has found its mutual weirdness." She smiled in reminiscence. "And to think I once imagined myself marrying him." Harry looked over at her in disbelief.

"You thought of marrying Ron?"

"Well…everyone always thought we would get married."

"I didn't."

"Well you're one of the few. We didn't date for very long and realized after that our compatibility as friends was sometimes scarce, let alone our compatibility as more." He put his arm around her shoulder.

"Well it's a good thing you didn't marry the Weasel or else I would never get the chance to ravage you myself." He growled at her and flashed his pearly whites. She broke into hysterical laughter.

"That'll be the day Potter." He pulled his arm back quickly.

"I'm offended by that. I'll have you know that Witch Weekly has rated me as the second most desired bed-mate in all of Magical England."

"Don't be pompous, your head's big enough as it is." She stood up, kicked her heels off and started to walk away.

"Come back her Granger." She shrieked and started to run, he chased after her. He leapt forward and caught her by the waist, bringing her down with him, she squealed again. A battle for dominance had begun and soon they were in fits of laughter. She finally got on top and he was too tired to do anything about it.

"Pinned ya." She whispered grinning. She pushed herself off and lay down beside him on the cool grass. He had his eyes closed with a smile on his face.

"You know you only win because I let you." He said cockily. She swatted him across the chest.

"Prick."

"Bitch."

She sat up and looked at him evilly, before they both broke down into giggles again.

"God I can't believe they're married." She said quietly after a bout of silence.

"About fucking time."

"Harry!"

"Oh come on Hermione. We all knew it was coming. Luna's been in love with Ron forever, it's about time he noticed it." She nodded in agreement.

"Well I'm glad it's over."

"Where are they off to now?"

"Egypt I think. Luna wanted to meet a real Sphinx and Charlie made some good contacts while he was there." She said sighing. "So…How's the girl?"

She was referring to Harry's most recent escort…a young lady by the name of Sophie. She had been nice and polite when meeting Hermione and Ron. She was gorgeous, or 'sexy as hell' as Ron would say, but Hermione thought she lacked the 'umpf'. In fact most of the girls that Harry dated seemed to be umpf-free.

"The girl is gone." Harry said, without any remorse.

"Oh I'm sorry; what happened?" Hermione didn't try and force sympathy, Harry knew she hadn't liked Sophie.

"It just didn't work out. I mean, when you know you know; right? And I just didn't know." Hermione now did feel sorry. If anyone in the world deserved the happiness of a family it was Harry.

"I am sorry. I know you really want to get married and have a family; but you can't rush it. The harder you try to push it, the longer it will take. When you know, you'll know." She put her hand gently on his chest, not in a sexual way but in an intimate way that comes with years of friendship.

"How about you…any prospects?"

"Well…the last guy I dated was uhh…six months ago." Harry looked over at her in shock.

"Six months? You've gone six months without sex?"

"I love how that's the first thing that comes to your mind you pervert."

"I grew up with Fred and George."

"Not to mention Ron."

"Oh and him too. But really Hermione! SIX MONTHS? I don't get it, you're smart, independent, can totally support yourself. And I have heard you're fantastic in the sack…so why aren't you out there playing the field?"

"I've gotten rather sick of the same old field. And it's not like I haven't been doing anything, I see you a lot."

"I don't count."

"I've been working a lot."

"That's worse than seeing me!" Harry groaned. "You need to get out of here."

"Thanks for the observation but this independent girl has to go and totally support herself."

"I bet you'd get vacation pay, I happen to know you didn't take your two weeks last year."

"Well…it's just wishful thinking Potter." She stood up and looked back at the house. "We should probably be getting back to say our goodbyes…help Molly clean up."

"I guess so." Harry said, reluctantly joining her. "But look into the vacation thing. I've been thinking of taking some time off myself. We could go together." Harry's face lit up as he though of the possibilities. "We could go on a road trip or we could go fishing!"

"If I'm going on vacation for two weeks it's not going to be to go fishing." Harry laughed and pushed her forward towards the lights of the house. They started to walk.

"What would you suggest then?" They were stride for stride as they walked.

"I would say a nice all-inclusive resort…"

"…To allow for maximum alcohol intake."

"Naturally. And there would have to be a beach…"

"…On which to toast your fair English skin."

"I'll have you know that I tan quite well. And all I really need to make it perfect is a good book..."

"…Or a few hundred." They laughed together as they walked.

"Something like that." She replied.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and the vacation conversation soon faded out of Hermione's mind. She, once again, immersed herself in her work. Working for the Ministry hadn't been Hermione's ideal when she'd decided to go into magical medical researching, but until she could fund her own company it was all she could do.

Her days were long and hard but she found the work rewarding. Knowing that the dream of her own lab was approaching everyday usually made the monotony worthwhile. But not now. Her boss had made a mistake when filing the last successful experiment she had done and in doing so she needed to do the whole thing over again. The team that had been working on it was put on something else and Hermione was left to do it herself. She was livid…and she was cratering.

"Hello gorgeous." She heard when she picked up her mobile. She laughed and shook her head.

"Hey Potter."

"You need to get your butt over to my flat as soon as you can after work."

"I don't know if I'm ever going to get off tonight. There was this big misunderstanding and I'm paying for it now…just because Todds screwed up; I'm left to clean up the mess."

"Well too bad for him. I'll talk to the minister if you want."

"That's alright. But I might be late."

"Cheers." He said as he hung up the phone.

Just as she had anticipated; she was late. It was quarter to two before she stood in the hallway to knock on Harry's door. She lifted her hand to rap her knuckles but found that it was opened before she got the chance.

"Uh…hi?" She said looking with uncertainty at Harry's grinning face. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing, nothing, nothing."

"Yeah right."

"Okay, so, you remember Ron and Luna's wedding?"

"I seem to have something in my memory to that effect."

"Do you remember how we talked about a vacation?" She stared at him blankly for a minute until the rusty cogs in her brain started moving again.

"Yea…what are you getting at?" Harry pulled his wand out of his pocket and accioed two suitcases from the closet.

"We're going to Cancun!"

"What?"

"Well…not Cancun exactly, but a little town about an hour's drive from there. They have miles of white sand beach and surf to play in. We can go snorkeling, we can swim with the dolphins, and we can drink excessive amounts and let ourselves fry like bacon. What do you say?"

"I say thank you, but no. Harry; I have way too much work to go to Cancun."

"…A little town just outside Cancun." Harry interjected a smile still wide on his face.

"I have way too much work to go to a little town just outside….you know it doesn't matter where it is, because I can't go."

"Yes you can."

"No. Harry, unfortunately for me, I am not independently wealthy and can't traipse off to Mexico as I please."

"I already spoke to Todds."

"What?"

"He had you finish the experiment today because he knew you were leaving tonight." Hermione stood there in shock. "Look, I rented us two rooms in a beautiful hotel and I have full intention of putting them to good use. Close your mouth because you're attracting flies, grab your suitcase and let's go."

"I haven't packed."

"I packed for you." He passed her the handle of her suitcase. She was still stunned. "So take my hand." He held out his hand and she took it, trying to smile.

Hermione didn't travel like this. Hermione planned…Hermione had travel agents…Hermione didn't know what the hell she was getting herself into.

"Grab onto this umbrella." Harry said as he held onto the other end of it. "It's just about time." She looked at her watch and it hit 2am and she felt that familiar pulling at her bellybutton.

A/N Well this is sort of random. The title is a quote from Thyra Smater Winsolow. This is just for fun to get me back into writing since after the summer. People who like my other stories…things are coming, just give me time. And the usual of I don't own anything. Cheers

K


	2. Bienvenido al México

Bienvenido al México

She braced herself but still landed with a thud. Her knees bucked underneath her as she straightened her robes. Lifting her eyes from the white marble floor she gasped. The sight before her was unbelievable. The white marble continued to the desk to her left. The lobby was large and open; in the center a swath of topical trees was placed. As her eyes gazed over it she saw exotic birds resting happily on the branches. Looking further down the lobby she saw a dark wooden walkway flanked by ponds with flamingos standing on their stilt-like legs in the water.

"Oh Harry." She whispered quietly. He smiled at her awed face and laughed to himself.

"Never seen a flamingo before Hermione?" She looked back, her eyes sparkling.

"Not in person." He smiled and grabbed her by the shoulders. She tore her eyes away from the brilliant site in front of her and stepped lightly on the marble. The sound of her heels echoed hollowly as he led her to the front desk.

"Hola." The desk clerk smiled brightly at them, her golden robes shimmering. "¿Como estas ustdes?" Hermione glanced over at Harry, her eyes slightly wider. Harry chuckled at her confused expression and turned to the receptionist.

"Hullo. I'm Harry Potter." The clerk's eyes were the ones to widen now. "We've got a reservation for two Oceanside rooms." The clerk nodded quickly and looked down at the parchment before her.

"Here it is." She said in slightly accented English. Her voice was high and perky, perfect for a receptionist. "Mr. Potter…La Marea Suite." Harry furrowed his brow.

"I reserved two rooms."

"I'm sorry sir; I only have one on my list. Would you like me to fetch el director?"

"Yes please." Harry responded curtly. He looked over to Hermione who had missed the whole debacle, too enthralled with a Macaw that had landed on the desk beside her. "I'm sorry." He said woefully, bringing her out of her parrot induced daze.

"For what?"

"They've only got one room down for us. I was so certain I had booked two." Hermione stared at him, her face unmoving. "You don't want to go home do you? Because we could always try a muggle resort; I hear they're very good as well…" Hermione laughed.

"Don't be silly Harry; we've slept in the same room before. It's really not a big deal. I'm sure they'll be able to remedy it in the morning." She took a breath and a tall dark man walked up behind the desk. His smile was so bright, Hermione had to look away.

"Mr Potter." He exclaimed, smiling wider than Hermione even thought possible. He had exceptional teeth…she laughed softly to herself and thought of her parents. What would they think about her impromptu vacation when she rung them later. "Mr Potter I am so sorry about this little inconvenience. Unfortunately, the resort is entirely booked." Harry raised an eyebrow. "All the other rooms will be full until next Friday."

"But that's a week from now." Harry exclaimed. The man nodded sadly. Harry groaned. "I made a reservation to take my best friend on vacation and because of you it's ruined." He turned to walk back to the Portkey arrival and departure station. Hermione rolled her eyes and ran after him and grabbed his shoulder.

"No Harry, let's stay. After 10 months of hunting down horcruxes with you and sleeping in any shelter we could find, I'm sure I can last a week in the same room." The manager smiled at her and she again had to avert her eyes. "Now let's go down to the beach as they take our things to the room. I need to see the ocean." Harry's eyes softened as her looked at her. After a pregnant pause he nodded. He took the offered key from the manager and Hermione linked her arm through his.

"The beach is straight ahead, past the pool!" The receptionist called brightly after them.

They walked slowly along the wooden path. The sky was darkening and the sun was going down. As they strolled, taking everything in, they relished the comfortable silence. There was no need for words anymore. After all they had been through; their friendship was stronger than ever. The War had cemented a bond that would never break.

"Thank you." She said. Her eyes were fixed in front on the path they followed.

"You deserve it." He replied, smiling to himself. "You work too hard."

The path soon led past the azure pool, lit from the walls inside the water. She looked down at the inviting water and beamed. Her work clothes were starting to stick to her because of the extra humidity. A skirt suit and lab robes were perhaps not the most appropriate attire for a Mexican holiday.

When she saw the sand she squeaked excitedly. Taking off her heels and grabbing Harry's hand she ran for the shoreline. He laughed and ran alongside her. She saw the water and let go of her grasp on Harry's fingers. She tentatively stepped into the ocean. Walking until her ankles were submerged she sighed happily. She took another deep breath and gazed in wonder and the glowing sky. She felt Harry walk into the water beside her.

"Wow." She said breathlessly.

"I know."

"I really needed this."

"I know."

"Let's go back and check out our fancy room." He nodded at her and they walked side by side along the beach. The building they were residing in was not far away. She ran quickly up the stairs and he bounded behind her. Room 220 was at the end of a long green hallway.

"Here goes nothing." He said turning the key in the lock and opening the door. There was a soft light glowing in the main room. The lamp was sitting on a table between two plush looking chairs. One large bed with unbelievably soft sheets faced the wall with a window on it. Infact the window was so big it was the wall. The bathroom was to the right and Hermione peeked her head in to find sky blue marble everything. A gigantic bath was full of warm scented water. Candles and rose petals floated lazily on the surface. She giggled. Someone obviously thought Mr Potter had more than innocent intentions when it concerned his beast friend. When she looked back into the room she saw that Harry had wandered out onto the balcony. Two wooden lounges with bright yellow cushions were there with a small table with two drinks on it rested between them. Harry was laying on one, his hand holding one of the drinks. His eyes were closed and a serene smile was on his face.

"I love this place." He said dreamily as she laid down on the other lounge.

"I can tell."

"First time I came here was with Ginny." He shook his head chuckling. "She hated it." Hermione laughed.

"I can't imagine Ginny being able to sit still on the beach for very long." Hermione said smiling.

"No. And the sun gave her a sunburn, and she doesn't like the ocean, and she won't eat seafood…I guess I didn't really think it through coming here with her."

"Is that why you broke up?" Harry snorted.

"We did break up right after the trip, but not because of it. It just wasn't right. After the War everyone wanted us to have a relationship more then we wanted to have a relationship. The adoration and love that was there when I was sixteen was gone. The feeling was mutual."

"Plus she was in love with Draco." Hermione said slyly. Harry grinned.

"That too. That boy has got a lot to handle in Ginerva Weasley." He said.

"I do really think she loves him though."

"I know she does. And he loves her back. It's odd you know…" Harry said quietly. Hermione grabbed her drink from the table and took a sip.

"Hmm?"

"It just seems strange that all the couples that were so serious at school all sort of fell apart after the War."

"We grew up Harry. We grew up really fast." He nodded sleepily.

"I think we should get some room service to eat and then pounce on that glorious looking bed over there."

"Deal." She said standing up. She offered him her hand and he took it gratefully.

While he ordered food through the in-house floo network specifically for the hotel, she started to relax. When he was done he went to sit on the bed. She peeled her robes off and was left standing in her knee length black pencil skirt and a white oxford shirt that was covered with a red jumper. She smiled at Harry and he smiled back. He was watching her, not in an obvious way but he was watching her. She lifted her jumper off and in doing so showed a little bit of the smooth skin of her lower back and hips. Harry swallowed loudly as he felt the familiar longing. He shook his head quickly to rid all thoughts from his mind. She was Hermione. There was a line. He wasn't about to cross it. As he watched her let her hair out of the ponytail it had been confined in he took a deep breath. Line.

A/N: I think it's pretty funny. All my fellow Harmony shippers do not dismay. By the time the other rooms are available there will be no need for them. Please let me know what you think, if you've ever written something you know how frustrating it is to see that 5 people put it on story alert and 1 person put it on favourites and there are 365 hits and there's one review…from someone who didn't put it on favourites or story alert. I don't get it. So please review. Cheers.

K


	3. A Girl in A Bikini

A Girl in a Bikini

_A girl in a bikini is like having a loaded pistol on your coffee table - There's nothing wrong with them, but it's hard to stop thinking about it_

_-Garrison Keillor_

The moon shone brightly through the window of the hotel room. Harry sighed and rolled over to face the wall. He couldn't sleep. It wasn't the fact that there was a beautiful woman in his bed. It was the fact that it was Hermione and he was just now seeing her as a beautiful woman.

'When did things change?' he thought to himself as he glanced back over his shoulder at her sleeping form. Her back was to him and he could see her body softly rise up and down rhythmically as she breathed. Her hair splayed over the pillow, haloing her head. She looked like a goddess. Maybe he was imagining things.

Hermione sighed deeply in her sleep and cuddled closer to the warm figure of Harry. He smiled softly and rolled back over. Loosely placing one arm over her waist, on top of the comforter, he closed his eyes. He was determined to forget these feelings ever happened and he was going to be damned if he would say anything to her about it. As he joined her in the realm of sleep he inadvertently pulled her closer, and she unconsciously relaxed her body into his own.

Hermione stretched, trying to wake up her limbs. She glanced outside and saw that the sun way shining and she also saw a disgruntled Harry sitting on the edge of the balcony with a plate of breakfast in front of him. She grabbed a white terry robe that the hotel provided and clumsily walked over to the window. He looked over at her when he heard the door open and raised an eyebrow.

"You're a cover hog." He said simply. She laughed.

"Am not." She went over and leaned against the balcony, grabbing his offered fork and digging into the pancakes in front of her.

"Yes you are. I was up all night shivering while the comforter was pooled on your side of the bed." He said his voice with an angry tinge to it. She smiled innocently.

"Atleast I'm not a bed hog." She said her mouth full, the close lipped grin still shining on her face.

"Not true. You are a bed hog. You snuggle really close to me and push me all the way over until I'm on the edge of the bed, about to fall off." He said, holding back his own smile. "I had to lift you up in the middle of the night and move you over." She looked down at her feet, slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry." She mumbled, wiping crumbs off her lips. "I guess I'm just not used to sleeping in a bed with someone." He started laughing and she looked up, shocked.

"Harry Potter that was not funny." She said, trying to stay firm while a smile was pulling at her lips. He just kept laughing and returned inside. He grabbed a pair of board short and quickly pulled them on. Hermione returned inside just in time to see him pull them up quickly.

"Hermione!" He said, suddenly embarrassed she had seen his bare ass. He'd never been embarrassed about that before. He just couldn't shake the strange feelings he'd gotten the night before. She turned to face him, looking confused.

"What? It's not like we've never seen each other naked before Harry." She walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed her own bathing suit and a pair of short. "But since you seem to be so uncomfortable with it I'll change in the washroom." She said curtly before walking to the door on the left. He sighed.

"It's just…different now." He said loud enough so she could hear him through the door.

"How's it different. It always has been and always will be strictly plutonic." Her voice was muffled by the door and he was suddenly glad she wasn't in the room. 'Strictly plutonic' didn't seem like a good explanation anymore. Why should he be destined to stay 'strictly plutonic' with her. Why did he suddenly not want to hear those words anymore?

"Hermione I'm going to go down to the beach. Finish up the plate and then join me. Anything you want me to bring down for you?"

"Just a book or two. Thanks Harry. See you down there." He heard through the door. He grabbed a bag and placed a couple of the hotels signature anti-sand yellow towels and a couple books in it.

The walk down to the beach was uneventful. The day was glorious; the blue ocean was even more breathtaking then the last time he had been there.

"_Harry." He turned to face Ginny as she ran down the sand. Her red hair was pulled up into a bun and her pale skin looked overcooked. "Harry I have a terrible sunburn!" She whined as she sat down beside her._

"_Gin it's not that bad." He replied, looking cautiously at her back. She moved the strap of her bikini aside and he cringed. Okay…maybe it was that bad. Where her bathing suit had sat you could see her normally creamy white skin but the rest of her back looked like Bill and Fleur's two year old daughter Amelie had been given a new set of red markers. "I'm sorry. Why don't you go see the hotel's apothecary? I'm sure she's got something for sunburns."_

"_You know I don't like to take potions to fix every little thing. I've gotten some after-sun from the chemist at one of the muggle resorts. They said that's the best way to fix it without medication." He looked at the green goo she had in her hands. He remembered aloe vera gel. It was sticky, stinky but gave some relief._

"_Ginny, you shouldn't be out in the sun with a burn like that."_

"_I'm going to stay under the umbrella all day."_

"_Are you sure that's the best idea." He asked tentatively. She looked over at him with fire in her eyes._

"_Of course I'm sure! I said it was, alright? Merlin Harry, when did you turn into my father?" He looked sheepishly down at the book in his hands._

_Time crept along slowly and although he was greatly enjoying lying in the warm sun with an entertaining novel in his digits, whenever he glanced over at Ginny she looked bored. Really…really…really bored._

"_Want to go for a swim?" He suggested, giving her a small smile. She turned her face to him, an unimpressed look distinctly on it._

"_I hate the ocean." She snapped. _

"_We could go for a walk."_

"_I don't like the feeling of sand between my toes."_

"_Oh." He felt so rejected. All he had wanted was a nice vacation to rekindle their dying romance. A little sun, surf, sand and sex were his noble intentions. Ginny had been thrilled when he had told her about a vacation. The feeling had obviously waned when he told her where they were going to be portkeying to. The sun burnt her, she didn't like the ocean, hated the feeling of sand and he definitely hadn't been getting any sex since they'd arrived. In fact it felt as if he were sixteen all over again. No sex and no fun. He sighed. "I think I'm going to go get a drink do you want something?"_

"_When I drink in the sun I get dehydrated." He stood up and walked away, shaking his head resolute to try and enjoy the rest of his vacation, even if his fiancée was determined not to._

Harry sighed happily as the hot sun lapped at his skin. He had been smart enough to cast an anti-UV spell before he had left the room. The novel in his hands was one in a series he had been reading. It was about a muggle reporter who had discovered the Wizarding World and what he was going to do with the information. It was terribly thrilling and from the moment Harry had picked up the first book from Hermione's coffee table he had been hooked. The pages seemed to turn quicker and quicker as the story continued. He didn't notice the familiar figure walking down the beach towards him.

Hermione was ecstatic to be on the beach. The last time she had been on a beach had been in the French Riviera with her parents the summer before third year. It had been long overdue. Her skin was unusually pale for her, but she attributed it to being stuck in the lab day in and day out recently. She knew she was going to gain some colour on this trip. She walked slowly, enjoying the feeling of her feet in the soft white sand.

She had pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail, strands still framing her face. She had been amazed to find that Harry had done a wonderful job packing for her. Not only had he picked her most recent swimwear purchase but he had managed to pack all her best summer clothes. She was currently wearing a green bikini, but Hermione is still Hermione and for a bikini it was fairly reserved. The bottoms were by no means thong or string of any kind. The top however, was a little on the sparse side. She thought it nicely accentuated her modest bust. She wore her most comfortable pair of khaki shorts and juggled two margaritas, sunglasses and a book in her hands.

"Oi, Potter! Feel like helping a girl out?" She called when she was a few feet from him. Harry slowly raised his eyes from his book and was very glad to have done so. Even in the darkness caused by his sunglasses, the sight before him caught his attention.

Harry gulped and jumped up to help her. He grabbed her book and one of the drinks and placed them on the sand beside his towel.

"Margaritas…this early?"

"It's five o'clock somewhere." Hermione said with a grin on her face. She put her sunglasses on and carefully pulled her shorts down. Harry had to look back at his novel.

'This is strange.' He thought to himself as he read the same paragraph five times over. He had seen Hermione in less then this before. He had packed the bathing suit for her for Merlin's sakes. Why hadn't it mattered when he packed for her? How come it had to matter now? He slowly took a sip of the margarita and felt the wonderful mixing of the cool lime ice with the warming tequila. He sighed contentedly.

"Did you know that it was in this very spot that I told Ginny I wasn't ready to get married?" He said offhandedly. She glanced up at him from her own book, her margarita in her hand. He noticed there were already a few sips gone.

"I'm sorry Harry."

"Nothing to be sorry about." He shrugged his shoulders. He and Ginny had seemed so perfect to everyone but him. There was always a part of him he couldn't give to her fully. And she didn't deserve to marry a man who wouldn't give himself wholly to her. "Things just don't work the way you have planned."

"I thought for your whole life you'd wanted a family?"

"I did. I do. It's just… I see marriage as a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet."

"I know exactly how you feel." She said nodding. "It feels as if all the people we went to school with are suddenly pairing off. I mean, what's the big rush. We're only 24."

"I don't think it's that simple. I mean, we all saw horrible things during the war. You said it yourself Hermione, we had to grow up. Growing up means getting married, starting a career and having kids. Ron and Luna are bound to have kids soon if any of the other Weasleys are a blueprint." Hermione nodded thinking of the twins and the two eldest Weasleys who were all now fathers.

"Times they are a changing." She said a smile on her face. They both returned to their books but Harry kept glancing over at her. Her skin was so smooth; her hair looked so perfect even though it was so simple. She was just Hermione and he was starting to realize how he really felt about just Hermione.

"Let's do something." He said whining a little. She laughed.

"You sound like you're five."

"I feel like I'm five I can't sit still."

"Well then 'Chosen One' what did you have in mind?" He scowled when she said chosen one. He hated when people called him that. But he also knew that she had said it just to get a rise out of him.

"Let's go swim." He offered his hand as he stood up. She took off her sunglasses and placed them beside her book.

"I can manage that." She said as she took his hand and he helped her up. He couldn't help but notice how her breasts pushed against the thin fabric that retained them as she jumped up. 'Stop it.' He told himself. 'Just stop it.'

He grabbed her hand and they ran into the water; laughing and splashing each other. The beads of water ran slowly along her skin, tantalizing him. He smiled and she grinned mischievously. Before he knew what hit him, he was dunked under the water. He surfaced to her glorious laughter ringing out around him. He growled and chased after her. He caught her quickly and lifted her up over him head and dropped her into the water. When her head came out of the water she was still grinning. She jumped up and gave him a big hug. He could feel her warm wet body pressing against him. Her nipples were taut from the chilly water. His breathing increased and he leaned his mouth down, inches from hers.

"I just want to say thank you again." She said in a low voice, her eyes traveling from his eyes to his lips. "And say how much this trip means to me."

"You're very welcome." He said huskily, feeling the return of the longing from the night before. Only this time it was much stronger.

He leaned in closer, his lips almost against hers. Neither one could move. He could feel her sweet breath against his mouth and after an agonizing pause he closed the gap.

A/N Well that happened much quicker then I'd imagined. Some hot Harmony action on the way folks I promise. Please review; you know how much it means to you when you write something to hear what people thought of it. I'm very impressed with myself getting another chapter up so fast. Don't expect it…I'm a busy 2nd year uni student who practically lives at school. Anyways, enjoy. Cheers.

K


	4. Looking for Questions

Looking For Questions

_Love is the answer, but while you are waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty good questions_

_-Woody Allen_

She hadn't been expecting it. As much as she was caught off guard she was awed. It was unbelievable. When his lips touched hers, her whole body tingled. The heat and passion were more than she ever imagined possible. He was tentative but loving. His lips slowly moved against hers. Their bodies were pressed so close together she could feel every muscle in his body tense.

When he slowly moved his tongue against her lips, she thought she would implode. She granted him access and he explored hungrily.

He teased. He tasted. He tortured.

Deep in her gut a foreign feeling of want started to wrench and tighten. It was growing so fast she thought it would consume her. Her hands moved from around his neck to his chest, playing timidly with his hair. When their tongues brushed the first time she felt a spark of something new. It terrified her.

She pulled back and looked up at his eyes. They were darkened with desire and lust. The expression of confusion on her face shocked the desire right out of him. He blushed a deep crimson and brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck.

"I...uh...like your sunglasses." He said, embarrassedly motioning back to the table on the beach. She narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at him. She hadn't really looked at him for a long time.

He was taller now; verging on six feet with a body that could make Mrs. Black swoon. His once disheveled hair had grown out into a nice messy curl. His green eyes were as vibrant as ever with a slight shadow of someone who'd seen too much for their short years. His face was kind with strong structure and developing laugh lines. He was Harry. The same as he'd always been…and yet the desire she'd felt, the desire she'd seen brought out a whole new side of him.

He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Luna gave them to me." She said softly. He gave her a puzzled glance. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "The sunglasses…Luna gave them to me." She turned to look longingly at their belonging, so close and yet so far. She needed to get away from him. She needed an escape. "I'm going to go get another drink. Do you want one?"

He nodded and croaked out "yes". He watched her as she walked away. 'Fuck.' He thought to himself as he walked back towards the beach.

For the rest of the afternoon an unpleasant weight hung above them. Hermione had drunken far too many drinks. Margaritas were only the forerunner. She had tried every frozen drink the bartender would make for her. She was currently on her third Chilly Leprechaun.

Harry hadn't been much better. He felt like his actions were the proverbial elephant in the room. Neither one of them wanted to address the problem in front of them. 'But it shouldn't be a problem' Harry thought woefully. He sipped his Chi-Chi slowly and decided to do as Hermione do. 'If she's going to ignore it, then I'm going to ignore it.'

As the sun lowered in the sky the two friends wandered back into their wonderfully situated hotel room. They were overcome by the whoosh of cool air when they opened the heavy door.

"So I was thinking we should go check out the Mexican restaurant they have on site tonight." Harry said, shutting the door behind him. Hermione walked carefully into the bathroom, turning on the light and the shower.

"That sounds like a plan. I'm going to have a shower first." She slurred with a smile on her face. He nodded and watched the door close. He grabbed a pinch of floo power and headed over to the small fireplace in the corner of the room. Although cross-continental floo was not possible for your whole body, you were able to communicate by heads, allowing for easy access to those at home.

"170 Huntington Place." He said clearly into the green flames. Fireplaces whirred in front of his eyes until he came face to face with Ron and Luna's living room. "Ronald." He called in an uncanny imitation of Mrs. Weasley. He chuckled as he saw a disheveled Ron run quickly into the room, tucking his shirt into his pants.

"Potter, I'm going to kill you." He said frowning as he saw whose head was in the fireplace.

"I'm sorry to interrupt the sexfest. But I need some advice."

"You're in Mexico with Hermione. What do you need advice about?" Harry raised his eyebrows and Ron understood. "You need advice about Hermione. Well I don't know how I can help you out there mate. You always understood her better than I did."

"Things are a bit rum between us since we got here."

"Hermione's always been a bit odd. I've always said she was out of her mind."

"I'm the one who's out of my mind." As Harry continued to explain the problem he was currently having; he didn't hear the water shut off in the bathroom. As Hermione toweled off, she could hear Harry talking softly. Figuring she had flooed someone at home, she didn't think much of it. She hummed drunkenly to herself as she used her wand to dry her hair. Smiling, she looked into the mirror and started putting on makeup. She had definitely started to gain back her colour.

"You've never thought about Hermione that way?"

"No. I mean not really. Sure there were a couple times that I appreciated having a female body around, but this is worse."

"Do you maybe…like her?" Harry looked back at Ron with wide eyes.

"But it's Hermione."

"Look I was always the first to say "it's Hermione" but incase you hadn't noticed, she's the only woman in your life who's constantly there…other than my mother and you might have a bit of an Oedipus complex if you thought about mum like that." Harry looked at Ron dumbfounded.

"How the hell do you know who Oedipus is?"

"Oi! I listen to Hermione once and awhile too." He said with a grin. Harry just shook his head and had to place one hand on the ground to stop himself from falling over. "Potter are you pissed?" Harry looked up and Ron innocently.

"Who me?" Ron nodded. "Maybe a little bit." Ron let out a loud laugh and smiled at his best friend. When Hermione heard the laugh through the door, she knew it was Ron. Thinking she'd go say hello herself, she opened the door slightly. "Well maybe I should get on with it."

"Going to ask Hermione to make glorious love to you?" Hermione froze when she heard Ron utter her name. What was he talking about? She stepped back into the bathroom and almost closed the door, leaving it open enough so she could hear what the boys were saying.

"Oh sod off Ron. I don't know where this is coming from and I sure as hell don't know what it means. All I know is that I've never wanted to…do things to Hermione before." Hermione's eyes widened.

"Well Hermione's Hermione and I'm sure she already knows. Her ability to read you is just creepy." Harry nodded mournfully. "I need to go. Luna will be wondering where I've disappeared to."

"I'll talk to you about it later then."

"Alright mate." Ron said giving his friend a slight smile. He turned around to walk out of the room and paused. Harry sighed and went to pull his head out of the fireplace but was stopped by Ron turning back towards him. "Oh and Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be a prat to her." Harry laughed softly to himself as he stood up from the floor. He felt himself falling slightly to the left and righted himself quickly. When his eyes traveled from the floor up, he saw Hermione standing in the hallway.

She had adorned a gorgeous brown and white dress and his breath was taken away. It was tight on the top and lower cut then she would wear in England. It cinched in at the waist and fluted out into a full skirt. It swayed when she walked. He watched her grab some open toed heels and he smiled when she looked up at him.

"What?" She asked raising a well manicured eyebrow. "You've been giving me those wonky looks since we got here."

"Wonky?"

"Yes wonky. I don't know what it means but I have a feeling there's something you're not telling me." He looked back at her with feigned innocence.

"Hermione, love, have I ever kept something from you?" He said with a suave grin on is lips. She looked at him and raised both of her eyebrows. "Never mind, don't answer that." He added hastily. She just smiled.

He walked quickly to her side and offered her his arm. "To dinner we go." He exclaimed, pulling her out the door, leaving her stumbling along beside him.

The restaurant was Mexican, a food Hermione particularly enjoyed. The décor was traditional, if a little stereotypical with sombreros not only on the walls but on the band of elves singing in Spanish in the corner. A bottle of wine or two later and the two friends were in fits of laughter. Somewhere along the line the conversation had slipped into the gutter.

"Best kisser?" Harry asked, bringing his chardonnay to his lips.

"Hmmm…that would have to be…" She looked down at her plate embarrassed. "You didn't even know I kissed him."

"Come on, just tell me." She mumbled something quietly and he looked at her expectantly. "Pardon?"

"Malfoy."

"When did you kiss Malfoy?" He exclaimed hardly able to imagine the blond kissing his best friend. The fact the he could imagine it, even just a little bit, made the ugly jealous monster inside of him rear up.

"It doesn't matter." He didn't want to push it because he didn't want that monster to show its face. "What about you?" She asked smiling and twirling her wine in its glass.

"Best kisser?" Hermione bit her lip and thought for a minute.

"Not best kisser...best sex…wait…how many people have you had sex with?" Harry sighed and looked down at his plate.

"Well let's see; there was Cho." Hermione choked.

"You slept with Cho?" She asked incredulously. "You were 15!"

"You kissed Draco." He said softly. "Moving on. There was Ginny..."

"Obviously."

"Susan, Kristin and Sophie."

"So you're at six." She asked impressed at how low the number actually was.

"Yes."

"Well who was the best?" She asked with a coy smile on her lips.

"Honestly?"

"Is there any other way?" She sighed dramatically and raised a hand to fan her face à la Scarlet O'Hara. His eyes slowly turned darker in the flickering candlelight with an expression she couldn't place.

"You." She narrowed her eyes and let out a low hiss.

"We promised that we would never mention it again. For all purposes it never happened."

It had been seventh year, during the infamous Horcrux hunt. When Percy had been killed by an inside attack of Death Eaters at the ministry, Ron had been called home, and there was no way around it. So the trio was down to two and living in a makeshift magic tent just outside of Budapest.

It was cold.

It was fucking cold.

They were sitting huddled up together holding one of Hermione's blue flames on their laps and when Hermione turned to say something her breath softly caressed Harry's ear. He shuddered. She apologized but the air had gotten thicker.

Over the course of the night they couldn't count the number of times they 'accidentally' touched each other. She had tried all evening to ignore the fact that every brush was fueled with an electricity she had never experienced. Hermione was convinced it was because of the lack of human contact they'd experienced since leaving the UK. When he was saying goodnight he leaned over to kiss her forehead. Something he'd done hundreds of times and it had always been…well…plutonic. But this time was different. When he pulled back and looked at her with eyes filled with lust and admiration.

She kissed him.

Kisses led to touching and touching led to sex. Sex with Harry was exciting and new. Every time he let his touched her he traced fire under her skin. She had never had sex like that. Ever since they had decided to forget it ever happened she compared the men she slept with to him, and to that night of pure sexual perfection.

"It happened Hermione and it was incredible, you can't ignore it." She smiled shyly at him.

"I guess it's not going to hurt anyone anymore. After all you were on and off with Ginny…"

"And you were sleeping with Ron." He said nonchalantly.

"You knew about that?" He laughed softly as she let her mouth drop open just a little.

"Blokes don't take about romantic shit but they sure as hell tell their friends when they're getting some."

"Well at any rate Ron and I weren't together yet." She said sticking her nose up and taking a sip of wine. She felt his eyes rake over her and she looked down at her lap.

"And you're not together now…" He whispered huskily.

"Harry." She cautioned.

"Did you feel it?" He asked quickly, the low tone of his voice still ripe with desire. He grabbed her hand and kissed her open palm. She took a deep breath. "The heat and electricity we had in the tent in Budapest. It was in that kiss today." He softly bit the fleshy part between her thumb and first finger. She shivered. "I don't know about you but I think the best sex of my life deserves a second chance."

She wasn't going to lie and say she wasn't interested. The wine and his soft voice were going to her head. Of course she had felt it, she had thought about it constantly since the afternoon. That kind of simmering sexual passion was rare and the mind-blowing orgasm she knew would follow was even harder to come by. She looked up at him through her thick eyelashes and smiled coyly.

"This doesn't change anything." She said quietly. He nodded. She stood up from the table and looked down at him. His gaze was expectant…he knew she'd agree. She walked away from the table.

'One'…he thought to himself… 'Two'…he bit his lip… 'Three'.

"Are you coming with me?"

A/N Please don't hate me. I know it took a long time. And it'll probably continue taking a long time. School and life are just getting in the way right now. Please forgive me!

K


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